


Caelesti Lilium

by Aeternus_Flamma



Category: New World Magischola (Live-Action Roleplaying Game)
Genre: NWM4, Wizard School, new world magischola - Freeform, nwm8
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2018-11-05 06:36:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11007996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeternus_Flamma/pseuds/Aeternus_Flamma
Summary: Cassandra Schaefer has always lived her life on the sidelines. She was always content to keep her head down and do her work, to seclude herself in her lab with her research. After her employer, Korner Industries, continuously denied her request to travel for some field work, she chose to put her job on the line and finance her expedition herself in order to track down the last of the Heavenly Lilies--near mythical plants with extraordinary properties. It didn't take her terribly long to realize that perhaps her employer was right to keep her from what turned out to be a rather dangerous task.[This takes place approximately six years prior to the first session of NWM.][Cassandra Schaefer is a character affiliated with other characters in NWM4 and NWM8, but she is not found in game as a player character. If you know the details, please don't share so that it doesn't influence other runs with similar characters!]





	1. Chapter 1

“Not this again—“

“—please, Charles, if you’ll just take a look—“

“—we’ve gone over this _half a dozen times,_ Cassandra—“

“—yes, but now is the perfect time—“

“ _I said ‘no.’”_

And with that, the door was slammed in her fact. Again.

Cassandra sighed loudly and leaned forward to let her forehead his the rich wooden door, her dark hair falling to either side of her face. The conversation was always the same. The outcome was always the same. She wasn’t sure why she kept trying when she knew that her boss would never give her what she asked for, but did it anyhow. She had to come to terms with the fact that this had been her last chance. If they weren’t willing to give her the grant after everything she had done for them over the past two years, then it was never going to happen.

With one more sigh, Cassandra stood straight again and turned on her heel to head back towards her lab and green house.

Korner Industries were quite content to keep her cooped up in her wing where she could churn out result after result for them. They enjoyed having a quiet, non-confrontational, top herbologist under their thumb and they weren’t about to let her go traipsing around the world to find a handful of supposedly extinct plants. After all, she couldn’t very well finish her research on the Abrus Pracarius plant manipulation if she fell off a Cliffside in Ireland, could she?

Cassandra chewed her bottom lip and she ran some numbers through her head. She walked the path back to her lab without paying much attention. She had trekked that route countless times over the past eight years, and she daresay she knew it better than her way back home (which wasn’t terribly surprising since she slept on the couch in her office more often than she did her own bed.)

She hardly noticed the loud laughter ringing throughout the hallway. In fact, she probably would have ignored the owners of the laughter entirely, had one of them not collided with her.

Cassandra stumbled back but caught herself before she could fall on her behind. Unfortunately, her manila folder flew from her hands, sending her papers scattering throughout the air. Before she even had the chance to groan in annoyance, the paper froze in midair.

“My apologies, Schaefer,” said the man who collided with her, his wand raised.  With a flick of the implement, her papers restacked themselves and settled into her folder once more. “I didn’t see you there.”

It took a bit of self-control to keep from pursing her lips in annoyance. _Not seeing her_ was a rather typical trend. Her coworkers didn’t _see_ her when they joked about her behind her back. They didn’t _see_ her when they invited each other out for drinks after work. They didn’t _see_ her when they locked the conference room for the night.

The man in front of her, Nathaniel, he wasn’t one of the worst offenders but he certainly wasn’t innocent either. The woman standing next to him, with her blond hair pinned up in curls and lips painted red, was another matter entirely. Her name was Catherine and she worked with Nathaniel in sales—which was a department filled with attractive individuals who thought somewhat highly of themselves. It was no surprise that Catherine raised a perfect brow at Cassandra and sneered at her with her eyes.

Cassandra hummed and flicked her eyes up and down him. He wore black slacks, a white button down with the sleeves rolled up, and a black tie. “Did they give you two or four of the Somnius?”

“They didn’t give me any—I told you they weren’t going to be eager to hand them over to us. If you had some research to exchange with them, well…” Nathaniel shrugged dramatically, raising his eyebrows.

Cassandra frowned and clenched her jaw. _Always wanting something from me, how typical…_

“You have pollen on your collar. It’s fresh. Two or four?” She said flatly.

 Some people found him to be rather charming. He had dark hair, bright eyes, a grin that enraptured women… Cassandra was not one of them. So when he gave her a smile, she immediately noticed that it didn’t reach his eyes. “Four. I’ll send them to your lab this afternoon.”

Cassandra gave him a single nod and turned away from him to continue onwards. Even as she did, she could feel his eyes staring holes into her back.

 

Once she reached her laboratory door, Cassandra raised her hand to let the wards recognize her. The shape of a rune glowed on the palm of her hand, and the door opened for her. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she felt a knot, which she hadn’t even realized she had in her neck, disappear.

The door led into a large laboratory, filled with a variety of necessary equipment and supplies. There were three other doors in the room: one which led to Cassandra’s office, one which led to a storage closet, and one which led into her greenhouse. If Cassandra had it her way, she would have had a fridge installed for herself and the closet converted into a restroom so that she never had to leave and interact with her coworkers.

 Though there were a few other researches who had access to ‘her’ lab, very few ever came in to work for more than an hour at a time. She had gradually taken over the entire room with her projects. When her old boss retired, Korner had decided to promote her—mostly so that she would continue working for them. Cassandra was a published researcher and one of the foremost magical properties manipulators in the field. Other companies had tried to poach her before, but when Korner caught wind, they threw more money at her and increased her greenhouse space. Because Cassandra didn’t like confrontation, and because she enjoyed the fact that she was primarily left alone with her work, she wasn’t all that inclined to leave.

The slapping sound that her folder made as it hit her desk echoed through her office but was soon drowned out by the ventilation system in her lab. Cassandra dropped down in to her well-worn chair, which was charmed to maximize her comfort, and shook the mouse of her computer. It had taken some convincing to get her boss, Charles, to requisition the mundane item for her, but he eventually agreed to get her to shut up. He had told her repeatedly that it wouldn’t work, that such a complex mundane item was sure to fizzle out around their magic, but for the past three years it had worked fine.

Then again, Cassandra rarely did any magic in her office so that may have had something to do with it. With the thought, she reached into her robe pocket and fished out her wand, tossing it haphazardly onto her desk.

Cassandra tapped her cheek as she clicked around her computer screen. She stared at the calendar for a bit, weighing the importance of the upcoming deadlines and considering how much she would have to try to fit in if she were to take some time off. She had over a month of paid time saved up. She had never taken more than three days off a year and some of her vacation time had rolled over.

She could make one of the interns watch over her plants if she wanted… she would have to write a detailed instruction manual so that they knew what to do, but she technically had the authority to designate the job to someone…

Cassandra sighed to herself and pulled up her bank account—the mundane account that she kept at least—and considered the figures staring back at her. She was well paid and thus, well saved. She had no significant other, no children, hell, she didn’t even have a pet to provide for. All she had was herself and she didn’t live an exciting life. If she really wanted, she was rather sure she could up and quit, travel the world studying unique plant life, and still get by all right.

She stared at the computer screen for some time without really seeing it. Cassandra became lost in her thoughts once more as the clock ticked by. It wasn’t until she felt her darling Hedera Amora wrapping itself around the wrist of her right hand, which had sat unmoving on the mouse for a few minutes, that she adjusted her seating and looked down. Cassandra raised a finger, gently caressing one of the ivy plant’s leaves.

“Don’t worry, if I go, I’ll take you with me. Can’t have you strangling the interns, after all.”

She swore she felt the plant quake in almost laughter.

Cassandra waited a few moments for the ivy to finish wrapping itself around her arm before she moved it to grab her quill. Her Hedera Amora, which she lovingly called Hea, was well trained and imprinted on her. Cassandra didn’t have to worry about the plant deciding she was food and trying to strangle her—and it was that thought which allowed her to move which the plant was wrapped around her arm. Typical protocol dictated that one should always hold perfectly still if confronted by a Hedera Amora so that it wouldn’t attack. It was the same concept as quicksand, Cassandra supposed, the more you struggle or more, the faster you die.

“Let’s see if Charles just decides to fire me,” Cassandra sighed as she started to compose a memo to her boss.

_Departmental Memo_

_Now that the research on the Abrus Precarius has been submitted to the Arch Justice’s office, I will taking  an extended vacation. On Monday, I will meet with key individuals in the department to ensure continual operation in my absence. Please use my external mailbox after Wednesday of next week for any communications. Additionally, please remember that I will be on vacation and thus, unavailable for the duration of my trip, which is expected to continue for approximately one month._

_Signed,_

_Cassandra Schaefer_

_Head Herbologist_

_Magical Manipulation_

_Korner Industries._

Cassandra looked over the memo twice before deciding that it was fine. Charles would likely be in her office before the hour was up, insisting that she couldn’t possibly go on vacation. He would probably threaten her, telling her that she wouldn’t have a job when she returned—if she returned.

Well, she could live with that. Despite her academic accomplishments, Cassandra had started to feel as though her life was slipping away from her. She needed to do something drastic, or she would regret missing her opportunity for the rest of her life.

Cassandra swiveled in her chair to reach the slot in her wall for departmental mail. It took some stretching since Hea was still in his pot and not easily movable, but she managed to drop it in the slot regardless. She sat for a full two minutes, staring at the slot next to it—her mailbox—and waiting for a return memo. Just as she expected, there was a response from her boss.

_I AM COMING DOWN. DON’T YOU DARE LEAVE IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A JOB ON MONDAY._

She dropped the parchment on her desk and sat patiently, waiting for her boss to arrive. As she did, she stared at Hea’s pot. “I’ve thought of a way to keep you on me at all times. We’ll have to give it a try this weekend, yes?”

Cassandra smiled as the plant as it shook in response. She could communicate with plants better than she could with people. And honestly, she was perfectly okay with that. Plants weren’t inherently cruel. Plants didn’t expect anything from her and were nothing but gracious when she did provide for them. She would be completely happy if she never had to see another person again, if she were honest.

As her boss’s voice angrily echoed through her office, it only reaffirmed the matter.


	2. Chapter 2

Cassandra has been sitting in the lobby of the Kaede International’s eighteenth floor offices for nearly an hour, carefully going over the anticipated conversation in her head. She had been so perfectly wrapped up in her little world, waiting for her name to be called, that she paid no mind to the other individuals entering the area until they were just a few steps away from her.

“Ms. Schaefer,” the secretary said, finally making Cassandra look up from her low gaze. “You partner has arrived.”

Cassandra’s heart nearly dropped out of her chest when she saw who stood just behind the Japanese woman—Nathaniel. Freaking. Nathaniel. She was sure the look of terror on her face was evident for at least a split second before she was able to mask it again. She opened her mouth to say something—anything, really—but of course, Nathaniel beat her to it.

“So sorry for my delay,” he said lightly, shoving his hands into his pockets, “I handled our little emergency as quickly as I could so that I could make the meeting. Glad to see I wasn’t too late.”

Cassandra grit her teeth tightly and glared up at him, trying to figure out what, exactly, his aim was. She was supposed to be on vacation! This wasn’t an official Korner meeting! _What_ was he doing there?!

“May I get you anything, Mr. Hawes?”

“A coffee would be wonderful—black, two sugars. Thank you,” he replied and flashed the woman his signature charming smile. The woman returned his smile, bowed slightly, and slipped away to presumably retrieve his beverage. Once she was out of sight, Nathaniel looked down at Cassandra, his smile a bit more malicious. “You’ve certainly stirred up a bit of trouble, haven’t you.”

She didn’t like the way that Nathaniel turned to block her from the view of anyone else in the lobby area. There was one other secretary in the room, but she was quite a bit away and engaged deeply in a conversation on the phone.

“I’m on vacation,” Cassandra said lowly, holding her briefcase a bit closer to her. Nathanial’s eyes flickered up and down her.

“Right, right. I imagine you always pack your one nice suit and visit rival companies when vacationing, don’t you. If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were interviewing.”

At the moment, she wasn’t sure which fact she disliked more: the fact that Nathaniel had shown up when she was supposed to be off the clock, or the fact that he knew that she only owned one good suit. There was no point in owning any more when she typically rotated through the same six pairs of slacks and button downs beneath her lab coat. What really bothered he was that Nathaniel had seemed to have noticed—she thought that she had done a pretty good job flying under the Sales Team’s radar, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

“I’m not interviewing,” she replied after a moment. Nathaniel’s smile widened a bit.

“Like I said, ‘ _if I didn’t know any better.’_ Charles sent me to keep an eye on you. Said he didn’t think you could pull off tracking down and acquiring the seeds you’re looking for. You know, being a Dud and all.”

A brief moment of rage swelled up inside of Cassandra—which was rather uncharacteristic of her. She pushed the anger down tried to shake off the tightness that had started to form in her chest. “I’m not a Dud.”

Nathaniel raised a brow as if to say, _sure_ , _whatever,_ and then sat down next to her. “Regardless, here I am. On babysitting duty. You just couldn’t follow your superior’s orders, could you? The company said they didn’t want you to go, but you took off anyhow. You should feel lucky they even decided to keep you on payroll. I hear you’re going to have a disciplinary review when you get back.”

Cassandra snorted and rolled her eyes. Disciplinary review. What a joke. No one ever got more than a slap on the wrist in the company—in fact, she swore that Korner actually _rewarded_ people for stepping out of line most of the time. Maybe, if anything, this finally helped prove that she was her own force to be reckoned with—whether she was a good caster or not.

A few moments later, the secretary returned with a coffee for Nathaniel. She asked Cassandra once more if she was sure she didn’t want anything, and Cassandra, once more, declined.

The two Korner employees waited nearly another twenty minutes, during which time, Nathaniel had gone through two more cups of coffee. It seemed he had had a late night, and hadn’t been expecting to travel in the morning to track down the wayward researcher. Finally, the secretary’s phone buzzed and the two were escorted to a hallway.

There was set of double doors at the end, from which, Cassandra could feel magical energy. Kaede International’s research headquarters was located in Nagoya, in the heart of mundane civilization. It operated primarily a traditional business would, having ties to the mundane agricultural sector. However part of the building was strictly off limits to mundanes, who simply thought that it required higher security clearance.

In a way, that was true. The secretary raised her right palm, and a rune began to glow on the back of her hand. The doors opened on their own for her, revealing a long, dark hallway, and she swept her arm to the side, directing Cassandra and Nathaniel to enter.

The woman did not continue onwards. There was a man in a robe, typical of wizard security workers, waiting on the other side of the doors for them. “Please, follow me. Mister Iwasaki is waiting for you.”

Nathanial coughed a bit and Cassandra fought the urge to punch him. It had been clear to Cassandra almost immediately that Nathaniel wasn’t used to waiting for _anyone_ , even the head of another company’s R&D department. She exhaled in annoyance and quickened her pace to put herself in front of her _chaperone._

When the doors on the other side of the hallway opened, sunlight flooded in. She could hear birds chirping and feel warmth on her skin, which was interesting since it was winter. Once they crossed the threshold through the hallway, Cassandra realized they were in an incredibly large, magically enhanced greenhouse, not unlike her own at Korner.

A man soon rushed forward to greet her, a smile on his face. Iwasaki Fujio was the head of R&D at Kaeda International, and he had been one of Cassandra’s resources while studying for her advanced Herbology degree at Imperial Magischola.  

“Konnichiwa, Cassandra, it is so nice to see you again. I apologize for the delay. I was harvesting sorbaria camara, and those, unfortunately, cannot wait once they are ready,” Iwasaki said, shaking his head a bit to convey his remorse.

Cassandra smiled and raised her hand. “Of course, no need to apologize. I did spring this meeting on you rather abruptly. I appreciate you taking the time to see me.” Nathaniel took that moment to clear his throat, cutting Cassandra off from anything else that she would say.

“Oh dear, I am so rude. Konnichiwa, I am Iwasaki Fujio, head researcher at Kaeda. You are… Cassandra’s friend?”

“Coworker,” Cassandra corrected quickly, her smile tightening. Iwasaki’s eyes narrowed a bit, but he continued smiling nonetheless. Cassandra was relieved that the man could see her discomfort in only just one word.

Nathaniel slapped on his signature smile and extended a hand, “good afternoon, I am Nathaniel Hawes. It’s a pleasure to you, sir.”

“You too,” Iwasaki replied mildly, accepting Nathaniel’s hand. “I thought you were on holiday, Cassandra.”

“I am,” she said shortly. “Though my boss doesn’t seem to realize that.”

“Well, you do take so few vacation days, Cassandra. It’s hard to believe you’d really be willing to take an _entire month_ off all at once! You’re so dedicated to your work, after all.” As Nathaniel spoke, Cassandra’s eyes flicked upwards for only a moment.

It was obvious to her why Charles sent _him_ of all people. Nathaniel knew how to put on a good face. People liked him. Compared to him, she looked like a grump. If Iwasaki hadn’t been her own personal connection, Nathaniel likely would have already swept him away, pushing Cassandra to the sidelines.

“Come,” Iwasaki said before the conversation could continue, “I do not have long before I must move onto another appointment, but I do have what you’re looking for and I am inclined to give it to you.” He turned and waved them on after him. Cassandra didn’t hesitate to follow him on the stone path which weaved throughout the greenhouse.

To be honest, the environment was one that made her extremely jealous. Hers could barely compare, but that was primarily because it was like pulling teeth, trying to get her supervisors to allot her a budget to expand her greenhouse. She would have loved to spend a few days at Kaede, just to study their layout and space effiency. She had been offered a job when she graduated Imperial, but she had declined, worried that she wouldn’t see her few friend and family again if she had up and left, moving halfway across the world.

Of course, it had been years since she had graduated and she found that it didn’t matter. Her friends had vanished from her life almost entirely, and she saw her mother three times a year, if she was lucky. She would have been better off if she had just left when she had the chance.

They stopped once they reached a small, glass house—a greenhouse inside of a greenhouse, it seemed. It took Iwasaki’s runed hand to open it. He held the door for both Cassandra and Nathaniel to enter, and stepped in behind them.

The room was climate controlled and even a bit warmer than the rest of the greenhouse. Cassandra could see Nathaniel pulling at his pressed collar a bit, and then loosening his tie. She was quite used to the warmth and didn’t bat an eye. There were a few different flowers in the greenhouse, each one in its own pot. She recognized the runes etched into the pots. They were hers.

Nathaniel, to her surprise, also noticed. “Those look an awful lot like Korner pots,” he said. Though his voice was light and conversational, she could tell by the way he looked at her from the side of his eye that he thought he had ‘caught’ her. “You wouldn’t happen to be stealing our research, now would you?”

Both Cassandra and Iwasaki chuckled, making Nathaniel’s smile falter. “Considering these have been here since before Cassandra worked for Korner, I imagine that would be quite difficult,” Iwasaki replied. Cassandra stepped around Nathaniel to kneel down, examining one of the plants.

“I can’t believe this little guy is still alive,” Cassandra muttered, gently reaching out to touch a purple, sunflower like plant. Her finger brushed against the stamen, causing the plant to shudder and hiss—a slightly terrifying sounds that it made when it was excited. It recognized her. “This was one of my final projects for my advanced degree. Iwasaki is one of the foremost researchers in the manipulation field, he consulted on many of my projects. You may not realize it Nathaniel, but I am one of the youngest published Herbologists because of Iwasaki’s oversight.”

Nathaniel hummed for a moment, recovering from his momentarily slip in façade, and nodded. “I see. Forgive me. It just seemed _odd_ that someone in Japan would have your work.”

Cassandra stood and shrugged. “Herbology in the US is different than most other places in the world, especially for women. Whereas I was overlooked because of my gender for many opportunities, Iwasaki found my early work and picked me up. I owe him a great deal.”

“Hardly,” Iwasaki said with a chuckle, “I certainly came out ahead by getting my hands onto your work before it would be patented. I do wish you had come to work for me.”

Cassandra hummed in returned and continued walking around the enclosed space, looking from plant to plan. Some of them were her old projects, some, it looked, were the offspring of the research she had left with Iwasaki while he was living in the States.

Finally, she stopped at a glass container, one which had runes and wards etched into the walls, and a blue light pointing into the container. _This_ was what she had come for.

“Still no luck,” she said with a sigh.

“No luck,” Iwasaki replied. He clicked off the lamp and pulled his wand out. With a tap on the glass, the runes faded and one of the panels popped open. “I can’t give you all of the seeds, obviously. I have to hold out hope that I will figure it out, someday. But I can give you three of them. _You._ Do you understand?”

Cassandra nodded and stood by as Iwasaki reached in and withdrew the pot, which was covered in the runes she had developed for plant property manipulation. He poked around a bit, but seemed to know just where to pinch to pull out some seeds.

“Korner—“ Nathaniel started to say.

“—has no claim to these,” Iwasaki replied, his voice louder and sterner than it had been before. “This is a mentor giving his mentee a gift, while she’s on _vacation,_ and nothing more.”

Nathaniel quieted, though Cassandra imagined he was just building up his words for the moment they were out of the building.

“If I succeed, I will be sure to let you know how,” Cassandra replied, a small smile on her face as Iwasaki handed her the three brown seeds. She cradled them in her palm while she reached into her breast pocket, pulling out a small, leather satchel. Once the seeds were carefully placed inside, Cassandra replaced the satchel, keeping it near her heart.

“Now,” Iwasaki said, “I will walk you back to the door. I will have to get ready for my next appointment. I do wish you all the best, Cassandra. Good luck—and be careful.”

She gave him a nod, and turned around, ignoring the hard looked Nathaniel was giving her. Out the three of them went, Cassandra naming a few of the plants they passed by with interest, until they reached the double doors with the robed security wizard. Cassandra turned and gave Iwasaki a bow, which he returned. “Thank you for taking the time out to meet with me,” she said, pointedly avoiding saying ‘us.’ “I hope that with our combined efforts, we can once again be successful.”

“I am confident that if anyone can revive the species, it will be you,” Iwasaki replied, standing up straight and looking at her proudly. “You have one of the most brilliant minds I’ve ever come across. I have faith.”

Cassandra gave him a nod and a smile before exiting with the security wizard and Nathaniel. Their walk was quiet as they went down the dark hallway and entered back into the mundane portion of Kaede International. The secretary greeted them outside, and soon, they were in the lobby once more. Cassandra bid the woman goodbye, as did Nathaniel. The secretary giggled at his words, which were, ultimately, brief since Cassandra didn’t bother waiting for him. She had almost managed to get the elevator doors closed on him, before he jammed his hand through, forcing them open again.

Once they were closed, Cassandra suddenly felt very… trapped. She didn’t like the energy Nathanial was exuding, and she had to deal with it for eighteen floors.

“You’ve had your fun,” he said, a frown firmly in place, “it’s time to go home.”

“No,” Cassandra replied without missing a beat.

Fifteen more floors.

“No?” He said, his voice chilly as he turned to face her. His hand slid into his pocket, where she was sure his wand was hiding.

“No,” she repeated, not bothering to look at him. She placed her own hand into her pocked, grasping a small stone she kept as a precaution. “I still have twenty eight more days of vacation.”

The elevator stopped on floor twelve, but Nathaniel whipped his wand out and sent a jinx at them, keeping the doors closed. Someone pounded on it for two seconds, and then the elevator kept moving. “I can’t go home until you go home, got it? You got your damned seeds, so please, just be a good girl and run on back to your lab. I’m sure you have plenty of tests or things that you want to run.”

“Nathaniel,” Cassandra sighed loudly, “I don’t know what you’re hoping to accomplish, but I’m not afraid of you. I don’t care what you think, and I know you won’t hurt me because I’m still one of Korner’s top researchers. They can’t afford to lose me. They have to let me do my gallivanting and hope that I return home to make them more money. You may be a good sales guy, hell, you may be a great wizard. But that means nothing when they need me working for them. You can’t even curse me to want to go home, because as soon as it was lifted—and it would be lifted—I would just leave again.”

Nathaniel looked at Cassandra for a few more floors. Seven more to go. Finally, he groaned and leaned back against the wall. “Does nothing get to you?”

“No,” she replied, “I’ve been called unflappable.”

“Well, maybe you need to be more careful. Someday, that’s going to do you in. You’re going to get on someone’s bad side, and you’re going to regret it.”

“Is that a threat?” Cassandra asked, raising a brow. She could see Nathaniel in the reflection of the metallic elevator walls. He shook his head.

“No, no it isn’t. It’s a warning. Where do you have to go next?”

She waited a few moments before answering. The doors to the elevator opened again once they reached the first floor. “Sweden.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me?!” The individuals waiting to get into the elevator were taken aback as Nathaniel shouted. He ignored them and pushed by as Cassandra slipped through the crowd. “I’m serious. You’re joking right? We aren’t really taking a trip to Sweden this time of year.”

Cassandra shrugged. “Well, I can’t say much for you, but that’s where I’m going. I just have to finish lining up my transport, and that’s it. Connection is supposed to be made in two days.”

Nathaniel hung his head overdramatically. “Sweden. In winter. This is going to fucking suck…”

With another roll of her eyes, Cassandra gently pat her pocket, checking that her satchel was in place. With the reassurance that she had, in fact, acquired the first of four sets of extinct Caelesti Lilium, she let out a breath of relief. The easy one was done, now onto the hard ones. And, though she may not like it, having Nathaniel may actual prove to be beneficial. She’d make the most of it if she could.

As he dragged his feet behind her and continued to grumble, she only hoped that she didn’t decide to curse him first. She didn’t need to cast to be able to make him suffer.

He would do well to keep that in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't really sure if I was going to continue this... but because Malcolm Styles IV/MagikPiG picked up his story for the month, I figured I would go ahead and add something to mine.

**Author's Note:**

> I started this on a whim with some ideas floating around in my head. I may not continue it. We’ll see!


End file.
